Mikey Dollaz • Picture Me Rollin

The rap game can get messy, and “even the best-laid plans” consistently rings true. But on the rarest occasions, you get that "lightning in a bottle" thing where the stars align and an artist truly gets rolling; it’s a self-perpetuating momentum where the fans and the music start bouncing off each other, and you want to be in the eye of that perfect storm when it happens. If you can’t see that tempest on the horizon out west, you better know it’s Hurricane Dollaz in the distance, a roiling storm of rhymes, beats, pills and bills. And those clouds are heavy, as he’s about to deluge the Chicago rap world with his huge mixtape Picture Me Rollin'. Got your umbrella?

Mikey Dollaz’ vision is crystal clear. What we’re looking at is an auditory collision of the worlds of rap and electronic music, facilitated by Mikey Dollaz’ electronically affiliated label Gold River. Taking GR's connections to the production universe in-and-out of the rap community and mining them for Mikey's unique style of street raps, Picture Me Rollin’ is the most experimental drill project since King Louie’s Tony or Sosa's Back From The Dead 2, musically some top-notch company to keep. It's not just that Picture Me Rollin’ uses unique production, we're talking truly new ground being broken here. Why don't we see this more often? From the electronic universe there’s Obey City, grime producer Strictface, Silk Road Assassins, the list goes on. The rap production came from outside of Chicago as well, and you'll hear Mikey Dollaz linking up with Sonny Digital, Dun Deal and more. 

It’s a true murderer’s row of beat makers, but rather than leaning on their talent Mikey Dollaz saw that bar sitting high and decided to jump over it. He's really stepped up his lyrical game, but also recognizes that at times, vibe can say more than words. Dark topics be damned, there's energy pouring out every corner of Picture Me Rollin', and the sense of fun they had making this project is tangible. From the block tales to the swag flows to the club tracks (which are legitimately good, no throwaways here), the sense of purpose never leaves. They had one shot and nailed it. So keep on rollin', Mikey Dollaz. You've earned a long celebration, Picture Me Rollin' has legs.

Learn more about Mikey Dollaz here.